Fence-post.



G. C. SHARPE.

FENCE POST.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1. I916.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

rnuen rosr.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Apr. l6, 19in.

Application filed September 1, 1916. Serial No. 118,1'9533.

of such a construction that they may be set without any extraneous holding means such 1 as a concrete foundation, etc., and yet no firmly embedded in the earth or other post foundation. Particularly, my improved post is adaptable for fencing along railroad rights-of-way.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain means embodied in my invention, such disclosures constituting but one of the various ways by which the rinciples of my invention may be exempli ed.

In said annexed drawing:

Figure 1 represents a broken central longitudinal section of a portion of metallic pipe to be formed into my improved fence post, after one end of the same has been reamed out, as hereinafter fully explained; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the portion of pipe shown in Fig. 1, after the same has been subjected to a further operation, via, slitting same into a plurality of separable members; Fig. 3 represents a broken central longitudinal section of a 0st, taken in the plane represented by the line 3-3, Fig. t, after the same has been set in the earth or other post foundation; Fig. 4: represents a transverse section taken in the plane indicated by the line fr-'4, Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 represents an elevation of a conventional fence in which my improved posts have been used.

Referring to the drawing, the body of improved fence postis represented by 1, being a section cut the desired length from metallic pipe such as water or gas pipe.

@ne end of this section of pipe is reamed out on a long bevel, as plainly shown in Fig. l, to form an inner beveled surface 2 of some considerable depth thus forming a cutting or chisel edge 3. lit will be noted that the formation of such inner beveled surface 2 creates a pipe end which has a wall of gradually decreasing thickness toward the extreme end of the pipe. This end of the pipe is then slit up through and beyond the beveled surface 2, as shown by 4, Figs. 2 and 3, to form a plurality of separable members 5, as plainly shown in Figs. 2 and 4. These slits l, as denoted by their name, are of no substantial width so that there is no loss of material caused in the pipe section by their formation, which such loss of material, if it occurred and were substan tial, would result in the members 5 breaking 05 or spreading too easily when the post is driven into its foundation. The improved post thus formed is then driven or otherwise forced into the post foundation, during which driving action the compacted weight of earth within the comparatively broad long bevel cutting edge 6, Fig. 1, which tends to be forced into the restricted aperture 7, Fig. l, at a certain depth spreads the separable members 5 in the manner shown in Fig. 3. The driving of the post to a desired depth effects such a material spreading of said members 5 that the distance between two diametrically opposite members may become two or more times as great as the distance between them before the post is driven into the foundation and thus the post is set with a very firm enchorage.

What ll claim is:

1. An improved fence post consisting of a section of integral, continuous metallic pipe of substantially uniform exterior diameter, interiorly beveled at one end to form a long-sloping cuttin edge, said end being slit to form a plura ity of separable members whose contiguous side edges substantially contact with each other.

2. An improved fence post consisting of a section of integral, continuous metallic pipe of substantially uniform exterior diameter formed at one end into a plurality till) of separable members, the aggregate length specification on this 30th day of August, of whose enfd edges isf substantially e ual to 1916. he cireum erence 0 the pipe, sai pipe end being reamed out on a long bevel to GEORGE SHARPE' 5 form a wall of gradually decreasing thick- Witnesses:

ness toward the extreme end of the pipe. W. C. RHODES,

In testimony whereof, I have signed this E. E. THOMAS. 

